The Lion's Lair
•Well, just one. more week and then “Old King Football” will
ascend the throne in the Nittany Vale and we can’t help but wonder
hQVr the Lions will fare op the gridiron this fall.
Although the season hasn’t begun, already. Penn State has re
ceived a couple of had breaks in the forms of injuries. Although the
injuries have not been what you would call seripus, they’ve cpme
at a most inopportune time.
With the season opener only
a week off. and the Lions trying to
smooth out the
their offense,
three ,of the first
team backfield
have been side
lined. The prac
tice ; t.im e•- lost
b y. .quarterback
Ton y R ados,
wingback I}ob
Polla-rd, and
halfb.ack Ted
Shattqck . could
seriously, hurt
against Boston
Saturday,
To top, that'Off is the fact that
Buff Donelli’s team will have
one game already under their
belts when it comes to State Col
lege. The Terriers open with Wil
liam. and Mary this - afternoon.
And don’t , think the Lion coach
ing staff won’t be watching the
summary of that game to see if
Thiel Team. Records
Don't Tell the Story
Even though Penn State’s 17-year lacrosse record under Coach
Niek'Thiel is an unimpressive 65 wins and 79 losses, it doesn’t begin
to tell the story.
For since his arrival in 1934 as head coach, Thiel has literally
developed his players from scratch.' Thus, his overall winning per
centage of .452 ig all the more
impressive considering Thiel has
started from the very beginning,
It isn’t an easy job trying to
teach someone a sport he has
never played before. Any coach
will tell you this including Thiel.
And if any person is qualified
to teach someone new to lacrosse,
Thiel is just, that person. For
Thiel played the game, and, it
might be added, played it well.
The Lion coach was an All-
American at Syracuse in 1933,
the year before he came to the
campus.
Finished Strong
Last year, the Penn State la
crosse coach enjoyed one of his
best seasons. State won six and
dropped three, but finished strong
to. capture four consecutive mat
ches from the Maryland Lacrosse
Club, Ithaca, Hobart, and Cor
nell. The Maryland game was a
real surprise. In fact, the Phila
delphia Inquirer called it a “stun
ning upset.”
The best record, however, was
shown by. the 1938 club which
had a 6-2 log. That year, the
Lions Wgre defeated in their first
two matches by Army and Mary
land,. but wound up the cam
paign by taking six straight.
Last Team Best
But even though the records
don't show it, the Lion -coach
thinks “my team la&t year could
have- beaten my best team - in
previous years.” Thiel explained
that lacrosse, is on the up-grade
and the stress is now oh the of
fense; therefore, last year’s club
rates the t edge.
The proof of Thiel’s excellent
coaching may be verified by a
look .-at the annual North-South
all-star game. The former Syra
cuse star has been head' coach of
this event on three occasions and
an assistant on three others.
To say that Thiel is a lacrosse
expert is putting it mildly. His
being a member of the NCAA
rules committee and past presi
dent, as well as the present sec
retary-treasurer, of the Lacrosse
Coaches Association will more
than bear out the fact.
' ' Thiel has personally edited for
the past seven years a publica
tion called thie • Lacrosse News
letter .which' he began himself.
Only Wins Cdunt
Penn State was outscored, 155
to J4l, while winning five; losing
three and tying one during the
1950 football campaign.
By ERNIE MOORE
Collegian Spoils Editor
Harry Agganis, former BU pass
ing star, is in the lineup,
. Had a chance to talk to Joe
Tocci, former Penn State base
ball and basketball star and last
year’s freshman cage coach, a
couple of weeks ago, He and Jack
Kurty, also a former Lion dia
mond star, played some ball for
the' Harrisburg Senators this
summer.
After Joe Jiurt his arm when
he was switched from second base
to shortstop, he l asked for his
release and attended West Chest
er State Teachers College the rest
of th 6 summer.
: Joe Drazenovich, former Penn
State guard under Bob Higgins
and Joe Bedenk, is now the assist
ant football coach at Butler High
School. The Tornadoes are de
fending WPIAL champions and
have a winning streak of 15
straight intact, not counting last
night’s contest. ._
By TOM SAYLOR
Meyer Expects
To Keep Job
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Sept, 21
~(AP) —Billy. Meyer said today
he expects to manage the Pitts
burgh Pirates again in 1952.
After Branch Rickey became
Vice president and general man
ager of the Pittsburgh, baseball
club earlier this year, there had
been reports Meyer would be re
placed as the Pirate pilot.
He and his new boss have been
getting . along famously, Meyer
said, and already they , are deep
jn plans for a major shakeup in
the team next spring.
• “I’ve never enjoyed, working
under anyone-more than .1 have
Mr. Rickey /this baseball season,”
Meyer said. , ' ,
.. “We are going to' clean house
next season, Mr. Rickey will per
sonally he in charge of the camp
at Deland and we hope to find
some young players from our
farm clubs that will help us."
'. Meyer is visiting his- home here
during a two-day break in the
Pittsburgh schedule.
m cmmMi
Wedding Bells
Ring For Gridders
During Summer
Wedding bells rang for five
Nittany. Lion varsity football
players this past summer • • •.
Aft Betts, Chap Johnson, Tony
Rados, 1 Len Shephard, and
Waype Wolfkiel,
These fivp brand-ney
grooms bring to seven the
number of family men on the
Lion’s roster. Jim Barr and
Jim Pollard are the two vet
eran married men. Barf is the
father of a 2-month-old son,
while Pollard has three years
of matrimony to his credit.
Betts and Shephard, qo-cap
tains, were married on the
sarnie day, June 9,' but Shep
hard says it was:just a coin
cidence. Betts was married in
Pittsburgh and Shephard in
Philadelphia,
AH the players have their
wives with them at the Col
lege except Wolfkiel. Mrs.
Wolfkiel is serving as a WAC
in Washington.
. Mrs. Betts, Mrs. Pollard, and
Mrs. Rados are working for
the college administration,
while Mrs. Johnson and Mrs.
Shephard work in downtown
stores. 1
Football's Back -r
Grid Season
Goes into
High Gear
NEW YORK, Sept. 21— (JP)—
The football bug who glances
casually over tomorrow’s national
college schedule and concludes in
some bewilderment, that he must
somehow have gotten hold of an
old, last winter’s paper is to be
treated with kind understanding.
With the first day of autumn
only just at 'hand, it says here
that the Kentucky. Wildcats are
playing the Texas Longhorns at
Austin, Texas, and.that Southern
Methodist’s Mustangs are engag
ing the Engineers of Georgia
Tech at . Atlanta, hoth tomorrow
afternoop. ■
It is no misprint, either. The
boys just couldn’t wait for a bowl
game invitation. They want to
find out now.
The clash at Austin sends the
team which lost to-Tennessee in
the last Cotton Bowl—Texas—
against the great Kentucky club
which vanquished Oklahoma, the
nation’s .top ranking eleven, in the
last Sugar Bowl. '•
• Several other games around- the
nation are almost equal standouts
as the big boys get- further away
from the old practice of feeding
on setups for. the' first several
weeks.
Two of the South’s traditional
rivals, North Carolina and North
Carolina' State, collide at' Chapel
Hill. North Carolina, sparked by
Billy Williams, is- expecting a
happy season, but could have its
dreams rudely shattered at the
qutset. -
Michigan State, newest power
in the Mid-West, is expected to
show its muscles at the expense
of Oregon State - at East Lansing
in one of the weekend’s inter
seqtional features. Fordham, an
up-and-coming, Eastern outfit, is
given some chance of knocking
off the Missouri Tigers in another
cross-country test at Columbia,
Mo. - ■
In the Far West the perennial
champion California Bears open
at Berkley against Santa Clara’s
always lively Broncos, and South
ern California entertains Wash
ington State at Los Angeles. Stan
ford plays Oregon at Eugene.
Pirates Announce
Signing of Shortstop
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 21— (AP)
—The Pittsburgh Pirates today
announced the signing of Gair
Roosevelt Allie of Statesville,
N.C. He was assigned to New Or
leans of Southern Association.
Branch J Rickey, Buc general
manager, signed the 19-year-old
shortstop after watching him play
at Forbes Field here.
Texas vs Kentucky
Insectional Games
Frosh, Sophs Brighten
Future Soccer Outlook
• Coach Bill Jeffrey’s soccer team might be the team to beat dur
ipg the next couple of years, because it looks as if the Nittany mentor
has some excellent freshmen and sophomore material to work with
in fact, two freshmen could break into the starting lineup.this
year. Jack Pinezich, forward, and goalie Dick Cheskis might be in
the first eleven when Bucknell
comes -here, Oct. 6.
Another freshman, Charlie Sny
der, who played : his soccer, at
Mercersburg Academy, is also be
ing looked over carefully by
Jeffrey.
Possible Soph Starters
Four sophomores could easily
start for the hooters come Oct. 0.
Don .Shirk, who went on the Iran
trip this past spring, looks like
the man who will replace -last
year’s' high scorer, Bullet Joe
Lane. Two other sophs, Hap Irvin
and John Hess, will see plenty of
action at the wing positions, with
Irvin probably going in at outside
life; The pther second-year man,
Bill Norcjk, who was sidelined
last year because of an injury
will see plenty of action at right
wing. Ellis Kocher, a good-ball
control man, might l also be in
there against Bucknell. The only
person actually assured of a
starting berth is Captain Ronnie
Coleman
At halfback positions, three
juniors will probably be in the
opening lineup. Frank Follmer,
fight half, Kurt Klaus, center
half, and Jack Charlton, left half,,
will be in the starting eleven with
Gary Nugent, who was transfer
red from forward last year, also
a reserve.
Goalie Positions
The goalie position, where Ron
Coder was featured last year, will
have Jack Krumrine available in
addition to Cheskis.
At fullback, the Lions will open
with Jay Simmons, a first-team
man last season, and possibly
Paul Dierk.
Against the Buckell Bisons,
State will be engaging a club that
has had absolutely no luck
against the Lions. In 15 previous
matches, Bucknell has done no
better than 0-0 tie in 1943. Last
year, with Joe Lane setting the
pace with seven tallies, State
overwhelmed the Bisons, 11-2.
Only Six Tallies
State also won in 1949, 5-0. All
in all, the Bisons have scored only
six goals against State in 15 meet-
- v smxip
Frick Settles
Into New Job
NEW YORK, Sept. 21—(fl 3 )—
A distinguished looking gentle
man with a mop of greying hair
settled behind his desk high up
in Radio City today, - accepted
congratulations from his old
friends of the press, and base
ball was back in business again.
Ford Frick, the new commis
sioner, said he still was some
what sleepy, not having silenced
his ringing phone, until the dark
hours of mid-morhing, but other
wise he felt great, though still
slightly bewildered by it all.
“I can honestly say it came as
a complete surprise,” he said.
“The screening committee never
had even spoken to me about the
commissionship. The first hint I
got that I might be in the run
ning was when I heard late yes
terday that the vote was ten
for Warren (Giles) and six for
me. And that was only scuttle
butt.”
With that, the man who win
govern baseball for at least the
next seven years got down to
answering questions. First, where
did he intend to establish his new
office?
“I think it will be right here,”
he said. “I haven’t really had
time to think about it yet, but I
can’t conceive of leaving New
York.”
When did he intend to take
over the commissioner’s duties?
“Certainly not until they’ve
elected a new National League
president and I’ve had a chance
to settle him into the job,” Frick
replied. “I don’t know when that
Will be, but I don’t see how it
can possibly be before Nov. 1.
ings. The Lions, on the other
hand, have scored a total of 66.